The Stooges got their start in vaudeville in 1922. The original line-up was of brothers Moe and Shemp Howard with Larry Fine rounding out the trio. They were a sidekick to headlining comedian Ted Healy, going on in 1932 to star in the film Soup to Nuts. Immediately afterwards, Shemp left the group and was replaced by his brother Jerome. Going now as Curly, this was the most famous incarnation of the comedy group.
A couple of years later saw the Three Stooges breaking on their own. From 1934-46, the trio starred in 90 shorts. Unfortunately in 1946, Curly suffered a terrible stroke and had to be replaced by the brother he replaced, Shemp.
Shemp was only to temporarily replace Curly until he got better. Sadly, the portly Stooge's health only got worse, passing away in 1952 from another stroke. Shemp stayed on as a Stooge until his death of a heart attack in 1955.
Moe considered disbanding the group. However, with Larry heavily in debt and the Stooges still under contract with Columbia Pictures, Howard had to find a replacement. He found it in Joe Besser, an alum from the Abbott and Costello Show. Besser might have stayed on with the group had his wife not suffered a massive heart attack in late 1957. Moe and Larry were planning a major U.S. tour and Besser wanted to stay home with his wife.
In 1958, we get the last line-up of the Three Stooges with the addition of Joe DeRita. Eventually taking the name of Curly Joe, DeRita would see a renaissance of popularity with the Three Stooges as the classic shorts became syndicated hits. The Stooges would star in a number of films including 1959's Have Rocket, Will Travel; which airs on tonight's episode of Svengoolie on MeTV. In the 60s, the Stooges would star in an animated weekly cartoon called The New Three Stooges, complete with live-action skits in between toons.
But let's come back to 1958. With the popularity of the comedy tour over the Summer, the Three Stooges decided to record a Christmas album. Despite later releases that feature Curly on the cover with Moe and Larry, it was Curly Joe who was the third Stooge on this record.
The original recording, titled Christmas Time With The Three Stooges wasn't really all that Christmasy. First of all is the cover which has Larry inside an ersatz time machine. It looks more like a summer picture and like the guys are trying badly to sell ice cream.
The album has 9 songs on it. Only 3 of the songs are Christmas themed. I don't know about you, but a pet peeve of mine is a holiday special that isn't really all that much about Christmas.
Anyways, that's were we get to today's song. It's I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas. Originally sung and recorded in 1953 by child singer Gayla Peevey, the song was a fad song in the 50s. A child's letter to Santa, requesting the actually quite deadly African mammal, the song faded into obscurity until the late 70s when it was rediscovered by the Doctor Demento Show. But at the time of the Three Stooges record's debut, the hippo song was still fairly well known and goofy enough to be sung by Larry, Moe and Curly Joe.
So, without further to-do, I present to you today's song. Enjoy...
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